The Public Entity Saba to address car wrecks on the Island

The Public Entity Saba has been working on a project to address car wrecks on Saba. The Public Entity Saba, together with the Police Force of the Caribbean Netherlands, made an initial scan of the situation. This scan showed that there had been numerous car wrecks that are either discarded on the public road, on uncultivated lands sometimes close to the road or close to other structures. It is vital that owners properly dispose of their car wrecks. With the upcoming hurricane season, car wrecks can, for example, become hazardous objects. The hurricanes of last year showed us that unfastened materials could become projectiles. They are also a hindrance on the public road when discarded there, thereby creating an unsafe traffic situation or they can become a source of breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and next to this they also make our island look aesthetically less attractive.

Discarding a car wreck is a personal responsibility of the owner of the car. The owners are asked to take their responsibility and dump their wrecks themselves. Based on the general local ordinance of Saba ‘algemene plaatselijke verordening Saba’(the general local regulation), in particular, the articles 2.5.1, 2.5.2 and 2.6.1, it is prohibited to place objects on or at the public road in such a way that this hinders safe passage, it is prohibited to park a car wreck on the public road for over 48 hours and it is prohibited to have discarded property (such as car wrecks) on land that creates mosquito breeding grounds or other unhygienic and unsafe situations.

Phase 1 took place between January and February 2018. Owners were granted a period of four (4) weeks, to do it on their own. The Public Entity Saba placed a sticker on each car wreck that was part of this first phase. Some owners took their responsibility, and others did not. The owners that did not remove the wrecks themselves before the deadline can be held responsible for paying the fees of removal.

Phase 2 of the wreck removal will take place in April and May 2018, ensuring the completion of this project before the upcoming hurricane season. The Public Entity Saba can consider issuing an order (in Dutch: ‘last onder bestuursdwang’) based on article 140 of the Public Entities Act BES (in Dutch: ‘Wet Openbare Lichamen BES’). This means that those that do not take their responsibility in removing their wreck can be held responsible for the actual costs associated with the removal.

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GOOD PROGRESS ON THE CARWRECKS, PUBLIC SAFETY, HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS, PUBLIC HEALTH ARE ALL TO BENEFIT. CAN WE AS A SABIAN COMMUNITY FINALLY BEGIN TO ADDRESS THE NUMEROUS ABANDONED PROPERTIES , MANY OF WHICH CONTAIN MOSQUITO BREEDING GROUNDS, POTENTIAL FLYING PROJECTILES, HABITATIONS FOR RATS, WILD CATS, ETC?????